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Pope Francis' body taken to St. Peter's Basilica for lying in state


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Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on Pope Francis' death for Tuesday, April 22. For the latest news, view our story for Wednesday, April 23.

The body of Pope Francis, laid out in an open coffin, was carried in a solemn procession Wednesday from his residence within the walls of the Vatican City to St. Peter's Basilica.

Red-hatted cardinals, priests, candle-carrying friars and helmeted Swiss Guards walked slowly into the vast, sunlit esplanade as a male choir chanted psalms and prayers in Latin while the great bells of the basilica tolled.

The body of the 88-year-old pope, who died two days ago in his rooms at the Santa Marta guesthouse, was held aloft on a wooden platform by 14 white-gloved, black-suited pallbearers.

"Dear brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow we now accompany the mortal remains of our Pope Francis to the Vatican Basilica," said the Irish-American cardinal Kevin Farrell at the start of the ceremony.

As the coffin crossed St. Peter's Square, a crowd of several thousand broke into repeated applause - a traditional Italian sign of respect at such events.

Roman Catholic cardinals gathered Tuesday in Vatican City to begin a period of prayer, reflection and preparation for the funeral of Francis as details of his final hours emerged.

The congregation of about 60 cardinals is planning Francis' funeral, which will take place Saturday at 10 a.m. local time in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican announced.

Francis fell into a coma and died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure Monday, the Vatican said. Hours earlier he had dazzled an Easter Sunday crowd in the square by blessing them from a balcony and then rolling among them in his popemobile to raucous cheers.

He had been hesitant about taking the popemobile trip into St. Peter's Square, the Vatican said. He asked Massimiliano Strappetti, his personal health care assistant: “Do you think I can manage it?”

Francis was the 266th occupant of the papacy, which dates back to the apostle Peter. His death ended a 12-year reign marked by his legacy of reform and repeated clashes with world leaders over immigration and economic issues.

Cardinals are also reviewing the day-to-day operations of the church ahead of the selection of Francis' successor. A conclave to choose a new pope normally takes place 15 to 20 days after the death of a pontiff, meaning it should not start before May 6. As of Monday, there were 252 cardinals, of whom 135 are electors, according to the Vatican. Cardinals over the age of 80 are excluded from voting.

Developments:

∎ As tributes pour in, some world leaders have confirmed they will attend Francis' funeral, including President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Argentine President Javier Milei and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

∎ The White House said Trump, who said he'll attend the funeral with first lady Melania Trump, will leave from Washington on Friday morning and return Saturday evening.

∎ Francis' death delayed the canonization of the world's first millennial saint. A canonization service for Carlo Acutis, a British-born Italian who died of leukemia in 2006 at age 15, was initially scheduled for April 27.

∎ The Israeli government on Monday posted a social media message of condolences for the death of Pope Francis but then deleted it without explanation. Francis, who reached out to other religions during his papacy, had criticized the war in Gaza.

The final hours of Pope Francis

Strappetti was with the pope on Easter Sunday when Francis blessed the throngs at St. Peter's Square. Strappetti told Vatican News that Francis' final words included "thank you for bringing me back to the square" for encouraging Francis to take the ride in the popemobile after the Easter service.

Strappetti said Francis rested in the afternoon, had a quiet dinner and went to bed in his second-floor apartment at the Casa Santa Marta. At around 5:30 a.m. the first signs of illness appeared, and around an hour later, after making a gesture of farewell with his hand, Francis fell into a coma, the Vatican said. His time of death was recorded as of 7:35 a.m.

Francis funeral less lavish but keeps some traditions

Francis wanted a less opulent burial than is traditional for popes and made changes to the church's book on funeral rites, but some of the usual elements remain in place.

One of them is the three stations of the procedure, named after where those key moments take place: Station One is at the pope's home; Station Two is at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican; and Station Three is at the burial site, which in this case will be the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome.

Here's more on what happens at each station.

Francis wielded 'soft power' in world affairs

Though not an elected political leader, Pope Francis followed in the tradition of his predecessors by influencing global affairs. Part of his lasting impact may be how Francis used a form of Vatican "soft power" to carry out his mission of fighting for the underprivileged, putting social outreach at the core of his papacy.

Francis phoned members of a Catholic congregation in Gaza almost every evening during the duration of the current year-and-half-long war with Israel, according to the Vatican News Service. That included a call about 36 hours before he died.

He pushed for ending that war and conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan and also for nuclear disarmament. He confronted world leaders about their immigration policies, and once condemned what he described as "inhuman" conditions facing migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

"He spoke directly to people. He went to them and captured their imaginations − and their hearts," said Bishop Paul Tighe of Ireland. "There was an authenticity about him. That was the power he had. I think people felt good when they met him. He gave power to their better nature."

− Kim Hjelmgaard

Candidates to succeed Francis range far and wide

Pope Francis made a concerted effort to expand the Catholic Church's influence past its traditional bastions and into parts of Africa and Asia.

That's reflected in the list of candidates considered viable options to become the next pope. Besides the expected names from Italy, which has produced the vast majority of popes, there are cardinals from Ghana, the Philippines and Hungary deemed to be in the race.

The African continent, where Catholicism has been growing to the point it had about 20% of the world's Catholics in 2023, offers candidates like Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cardinal Ignace Bessi Dogbo of Ivory Coast.

Any of them could be considered to become the first Black pope in modern times, though experts believe their chances are slim in part because they haven't been scrutinized to the extent of most Western cardinals.

"To have a Black pope would revive the Christian faith in Africa and change people's views of Africa, by showing that an African can hold this office," said Charles Yapi, a Catholic priest in Ivory Coast's commercial capital Abidjan.

Conservatives pushed back against Francis' reforms

Pope Francis met stiff resistance in his efforts to reform the Catholic Church, which typically clings to its traditions − some still long for the Latin Mass − and accepts change at a glacial pace.

In a July 2017 letter, four conservative bishops challenged Francis' guidance easing restrictions on divorced and remarried parishioners receiving communion. They said their intent was to "protect our fellow Catholics" and claimed the pope's guidance had caused "heresies and other errors'' to spread in the church.

Francis also received significant pushback in his attempts to be more welcoming to members of the LGBTQ+ community and to give women and lay congregants more of a voice in church matters.

“The pope gave people the freedom to speak and criticize, and the conservatives took that freedom and used it to criticize him for making it possible to criticize,” said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and a columnist for Religion News Service.

− Liam Adams

Catholics are global; popes are mostly European

In the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, most popes have come from Europe, even though there are countries in South and Central America, Asia and Africa with significant Catholic populations. There have been 266 popes throughout history, about 80% of them from Italy. A handful of popes came from North Africa and the Middle East, but they were elected in the early centuries of the Church.

Pope Francis was the first from Latin America. His birthplace, Argentina, is nearly two-thirds Catholic, home to over 30 million Catholics. A review of Catholic populations by country shows that Brazil, Mexico and Colombia all have strong Catholic communities: 140 million, 101 million and 38 million, respectively. Brazil’s Catholic population alone is larger than the combined Catholic populations of Italy, France and Spain. 

“To have leadership that comes from around the world, we get to see depth of understanding of Catholic teachings,” said Neomi De Anda, a professor at the University of Dayton who studies Catholicism in Latin America. Read more here.

Ignacio Calderon and Suhail Bhat

Abuse survivors group seek 'zero tolerance' from next pope

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests − SNAP − says it has launched a Conclave Watch initiative to vet papal candidates on management of abuse cases. The next pope "must institute a zero tolerance law" for sexual abuse and mandate independent oversight of bishops, the group said in a statement. Abusive clergy and leaders who have covered up abuse from ministry must be immediately removed, the statement said.

"Survivors around the world are mourning what they perceive as the 'tragedy' of his papacy − a preventable catastrophe for the children and vulnerable people who were abused during his tenure," the statement says.

Francis never possessed the necessary credibility to revamp Vatican management of sexual abuse cases because of his handling of cases in Argentina while serving as archbishop of Buenos Aires, the statement said. None of his reforms produced actual “zero tolerance” for abuse or ended the culture of extreme secrecy and control that enables it, the statement adds.

"The next pope must not have any history of having covered up sexual abuse," it said.

Pope Francis' casket flanked by Swiss guards

The Vatican released photographs of Francis, dressed in his vestments, in a wooden coffin in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, where he lived during his 12-year papacy. The casket is open and lined with red cloth. Swiss Guards stand sentry nearby.

The coffin will be carried from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday so mourners can pay their respects. In his will, the late pontiff broke from tradition and asked for a "simple" tomb in Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major instead of St. Peter's Basilica.

Public viewing set for Wednesday, funeral Saturday

On Wednesday, Cardinal Kevin Farrell will preside over the "rite of translation," which will begin at 9 a.m. local time with a moment of prayer. A procession will start at Santa Marta, pass through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs before reaching St. Peter’s Square and entering the Vatican Basilica.

At the Altar of the Confession, Farrell will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, part of the Mass, followed by a public visitation.

On Saturday, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the funeral Mass, which will be concelebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests from around the world, the Vatican said. The pope's body will be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for entombment.

What do people want from the next pope? American Catholics are divided

As Catholics mourn the death of Francis and reflect on the pontiff's legacy as a reformer, questions are emerging about who might follow. Catholics who spoke to the Paste BN Network were deeply divided. 

Some said they wanted the next pope to maintain the church's more conservative policies on topics such as abortion. Others expressed a desire for Francis' successor to build on the progress he made, particularly around the inclusion of women and LGBTQ+ people.

"He transcended religion. He really welcomed everyone to the church,” said Carl Sawejko, 67, who founded a telecommunications company in southern Massachusetts called Sawejko Enterprises. He said he served as an altar boy at a church in Swansea, Massachusetts, as a child. Read more here.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, Karissa Waddick, Paste BN; Margie Cullen, Peter D. Kramer, Caitlyn Kelleher, and Katie Landeck, Paste BN Network; Reuters